Skateboards have now been in use for many years both recreationally and in competitive events. With the advent of more modern materials used for the production of the boards, further versatility has been added such as the provision of an upwardly sloping tail portion cantilevered rearwardly beyond the rear race so that the skateboarder can shift a foot and place weight in the back to lift up the front end of the board, thereby riding only on the rear race. Such action requires a greater degree of dexterity and balance which relatively few may be able to achieve. If the board is raised too high the tail end may tip back to the ground which can result in either the board shooting out from under the feet of the rider or frictionally breaking the forward motion of the board.
It has already been proposed that a fifth wheel caster could be affixed to the upwardly sloping tail portion as a way to overcome the problems of requiring delicate balance capability or avoiding frictional ground impact, however, permanently affixed fifth wheel casters required special capabilities and tools for installation as well as impacting the flexibility of being able to choose between use of the board with or without the additional wheel.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above by providing a fifth wheel caster apparatus with an easy releasable attachment mechanism which may be simply and easily installed on the upwardly sloping tail end of a skateboard and minimizes the time and effort to install or release the caster wheel while maintaining the integrity of the skateboard.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.